Stupid Cupid
by Saturnian Sorceress
Summary: When he looked up and saw Cupid with his bow, he should’ve known he was in trouble, but unfortunately he wasn’t clairvoyant.


_God she's beautiful_.

The thought was hardly new to Eugene 'Skull' Skullovitch, it had only been plaguing him since the fourth grade, when his hormones had fully kicked in and he had noticed Kimberly Hart, _really_ noticed her, for the first time. There hadn't been a day since that the perky brunette gymnast didn't cross his mind at least four times every couple of hours.

Propped up against his locker, Skull gazed down the hallway at Kim as he waited for Bulk to get whatever it was he needed out of his locker. She was in what looked like a heated conversation with some upperclassman football player, whose name he couldn't remember, that she'd been spending an awful lot of time with the past couple of weeks. Even angry she possessed an overwhelming effervescence.

She was always beautiful, gorgeous even, to him, but today, Valentine's Day, her favorite holiday, she had really outdone herself. Kim had let her natural beauty shine through, keeping her makeup minimal in light pinks. Her shiny, and he imagined soft, hair was down today and adorned with a pink headband. Her floral printed short-sleeved dress showed her toned arms and elegant neck, without dipping too low in the front. The ensemble was completed with neon pink leggings and white sneakers, with appropriate jewelry decorating her body.

"Stop staring. She's gonna think you're a stalker."

Skull jumped slightly, coming out of his daydream at Bulk's command. He sighed and leaned more heavily on his locker, toying with his spiked collar, angry at himself for being caught.

"I wasn't staring," he mumbled defensively.

"Yeah you were. Look, I don't really care who you spend your time fantasizing about, but seriously, if you think she's ever gonna give you the time of day you're more delusional than I thought."

Skull fought the urge to roll his eyes, if only because he didn't want to start a fight; it was too early in the morning.

"I'm not delusion. I understand our relationship."

"You don't have a relationship with little Ms. Perfect, doofus."

"Yes I do. She's the highlight of my day and our daily flirty dialogue challenges her intellect."

"If that's what you need to tell yourself to get through the day, fine."

The warning bell rang and Skull's eyes were unconsciously drawn to Kim's locker, but she was no longer there. Somewhere between his foray into voyeurism and his conversation with Bulk, she must've left with the football player.

"So are you coming?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you ditching with me?" Bulk questioned as he slammed his locker closed, startling a freshman in the process.

"Um, yeah, I'll meet you in the outside stairwell in the parking lot in like ten minutes. I've gotta run to the theater and get my backpack."

Bulk raised an eyebrow in question.

"I forgot it after the drug assembly yesterday. I didn't even realize it until I got home," Skull explained, his high-pitched laugh piercing the end of his sentence.

"Fine, but if you're not there in ten minutes I'm leaving without you. Got it?"

Raising his hand to his forehead in a salute Skull responded, "Aye, Aye Captain!"

With that the two friends parted ways, Bulk walking right out the front door with no shame, Skull lumbering around the corner and down the hall towards the theater. After nearly pulling his arm off when he reached the first set of double doors that led to the interior of the theater and discovering they were locked, he moved on to the only other set of doors, hoping they weren't locked as well.

"I swear to God if these are locked too…"

He trailed off as he was met with a deep metallic click when pushing down on the handle bar signaling the door was, indeed, unlocked.

"Man, crack janitorial staff, only locks one set of doors," he mumbled, glancing around to make sure there were no prying eyes watching him before entering the theater, satisfied with the soft click of the door shutting behind him.

Taking a few initial steps forward, the theater was dark save for a few dim stage lights that had been left on, he was surprised when he walked right into something hanging from the low ceiling by the entrance.

"What the hell?"

When he looked up and saw Cupid with his bow, he should've known he was in trouble, but unfortunately he wasn't clairvoyant.

Pushing the paper Cupid out of his face with more force than necessary, and cursing his tall, lanky frame, he paused for a minute to take in the set on the stage. It was simple really, just a high wall with a balcony with the rest of the stage covered in fake bushes, trees, and flowers. He had forgotten that the drama club was putting on a special performance of _Romeo & Juliet_ just for Valentine's Day.

Making his way towards the front of the stage, he and Bulk had sat in the second row at the drug awareness assembly so the speakers could see them openly mocking them, he leaned over at the beginning of the row, but couldn't see his black backpack. Entering the second row he made his way to his seat, figuring some kid had pushed it under. Skull kneeled down and grinned in triumph when his fingers wrapped around one of the straps.

It was then that Skull heard it. Coming from backstage, it was fairly quiet except for the gasps for breath; it sounded like muffled crying. He wasn't surprised he didn't hear it sooner, he had been so involved in his own thoughts and actions a mob could've run through the theater and he probably wouldn't have noticed.

Straightening up and throwing his backpack over his shoulder, he exited the row of seats and listened a little closer to the sound. Skull weighed his options. He could 1.) leave and pretend he heard nothing (he didn't want to offer help to this chick and have her blab to the whole school and ruin his reputation) or 2.) find the crying girl and offer her a shoulder to cry on. She could be so grateful she might give him something in return…

"You're not _that_ guy Skullovitch," he mumbled, looking at his watch. He was relieved when he realized he had at least seven minutes before Bulk left without him.

Strolling up the side steps that led to the stage, he crept past the balcony towards the sound. He sidled up next to the wall, keeping his distance while remaining hidden; the girl obviously thought she was alone, the last thing he wanted was to give her a heart attack.

Peering around the corner he was surprised to see the object of his affections leaning against the cold wall and hugging her knees to her chest. Kim's hair was a little disheveled and her face was streaked with tears. She was tightly clutching a tissue in her right hand, sniffling loudly, and trying to even her breathing.

Running a quick hand through his spiky jet-black hair, he rounded the corner making his voice soft.

"Kim?"

The girl in question gasped, clearly startled, and whipped her head around so fast Skull was sure he heard it crack.

"Oh my God! Skull?"

After an awkward moment of silence Skull cleared his throat.

"Are you, um, okay?"

"Like you care," Kim snorted.

Inching closer to her Skull continued to press.

"I do," he declared without thought, but quickly amended himself. "I mean, well, most people don't cry unless there is something, ya know, wrong."

Hastily wiping her eyes, Kim groaned and gestured to the spot next to her on the dirty floor; Skull took it without hesitation. Silence descended on the pair.

"Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"Touché," Kim chuckled wryly.

She released a shaky sigh and carefully eyed the boy next to her. If she closed her eyes and thought hard she could almost remember what he had been like when they were children. Skull, well he had gone by Eugene at the time, had been quiet and reserved, nothing like the boisterous often rude teenager she knew now. The only constant she knew about him was his crush on her, it was one of the few things that hadn't changed over the years.

"So," Skull said interrupting her thoughts, "are you gonna tell me what's wrong or do I have to force it out of you?"

"Psh, please," Kim scoffed. "Like you could get anything out of me I didn't want to volunteer."

"You'd be surprised. I can be very persuasive when I want to be," he responded wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Kim laughed genuinely before tilting her head towards him.

"It's going to sound stupid."

"I doubt it. It can't be that stupid if it upset you so bad."

Wringing the tissue in her hands, she took a deep breath before responding.

"It's just that David broke up with me."

_That's the football player's name!_

"That sucks, being dumped on the most romantic day of the year."

Kim glared at him.

"Sorry." He had the decency to avert his gaze and he could feel the heat rise to his face.

"No you're right. It does suck," Kim admitted.

"Well it could be worse. At least he didn't drag you along longer."

Grinning ruefully Kim responded, "Want to know why he called it off?"

Skull raised an eyebrow in question.

"He said I was frigid. He said there were at least a hundred girls in school that would be willing to sleep with him and he couldn't understand why I wasn't jumping at the chance."

The intensity of the hatred that suddenly coursed through Skull's body shocked him. Next time he saw that son-of-a-bitch he was going to leave him with a bloody nose.

"Ugh, as if. Honestly I don't even think I ever liked him. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No, it just makes you human."

When she didn't look convinced by his statement he added, "Not like it's gonna mean anything coming from me, but you're better off without him. He sounds like a jackass."

"Huh, I guess he is. I mean we've only been dating, excuse me, only dated for like two and a half weeks, I just had this whole image of how my Valentine's Day would go and it's been a complete bust."

"Eh, Single's Awareness Day isn't all its cracked up to be anyway."

"Single's Awareness Day?"

"You've never heard of that?" Skull questioned in disbelief. When Kim shook her head he clarified. "Valentine's Day is the one day out of the whole year you realize how utterly alone you are."

"Wow…"

"Yeah it's a harsh reality, but it's only one day a year so it's pretty easy to forget about it. Sorry. That probably didn't make you feel any better."

"Don't worry about it."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few seconds before Kim hesitantly spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I still have it."

Skull turned his head to look at her, eyebrows furrowed, completely confused by her statement.

"What?"

"The seal."

Those two words hit Skull like a ton of bricks and he ducked his head knowing he was blushing again.

In the fourth grade, when he first started liking Kim as more than a classmate, he had given her a stuffed animal for Valentine's Day. He had walked to her house and personally delivered it so she would know exactly who it was from. The stuffed seal was small and pure white, with a black nose and eyes. On its' nose it balanced an equally stuffed heart that had the words "Be Mine" sewn on it in cursive. She had thanked him and told him he was sweet before closing her front door. He had assumed she'd gotten rid of it days, maybe hours, later.

"It's still one of the nicest things I've ever received," Kim said. "It sitting on my dresser; has been for years."

Skull tried to respond, but ended up stuttering out a poor explanation, so he cut his losses and shut his mouth.

"Thank you. I know it's like six years to late, but I love it. It was very thoughtful. Every time I look at it, it brings a smile to my face."

"Well, you're, um, welcome."

Catching the time on his watch out of the corner of his eye made Skull groan internally; he was going to be cutting it extremely close, Bulk was going to be pissed.

"Listen Kim, I, uh, have to go, but are you gonna be okay?"

She smiled at his concern; it appeared that she had been completely wrong about him for a longtime.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for the pep talk, it definitely helped."

Making a quick decision, she leaned over and quickly covered his lips with hers.

"Thank you and Happy Single's Awareness Day."

Standing up, backpack in hand, Skull desperately tried to appear calm and collected as he attempted to process, and save into his long-term memory, the chaste kiss.

"Same to you."

He left her backstage, still with her knees hugged to her chest, but with a smile gracing her beautiful face. He got all the way to the middle of the auditorium before stopping. _Bulk will understand…_ Turning to face the stage he shouted.

"Hey, Kim!"

She appeared by the _Romeo & Juliet_ balcony a few seconds later after shouting back a "What?"

"Well we've already missed first period, you want to take a mental health day with me?"

"Are you asking me to skip with you?" Kim questioned once she stood in front of him.

"Maybe. Depends on your answer."

Hesitating only slightly she grinned almost devilishly, softly grabbing a hold of his hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Lead the way Mr. Skullovitch."

As the pair made their way out of the theater, Skull couldn't help but grin and throw a wink to the stupid paper Cupid that hung from the low ceiling of the doorway.

* * *

**A/N: Happy (early) Valentine's Day! Oh, if only Kim had given Skull just one chance...**


End file.
